Bobbin handling system



Dec. 2, 1969' c. H. ANDERSON 3,481,441

BOBBIN HANDLING SYSTEM Filed Sept. 15, 1967 Y I j INVENTOR. CARL. H. ANDERSON BY W MA ATTORN YS United States Patent 3,481,441 BOBBIN HANDLlNG SYSTEM Carl H. Anderson, Warwick, R.I., assignor to Leesona Corporation, Warwick, R.I., a corporation of Massachusetts Filed Sept. 15, 1967, Ser. No. 668,040 Int. Cl. B65g 11/20 U.S. Cl. 193-32 16 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Aligning apparatus to position canted or upended bobbins in a substantially horizontal position. A bobbin receiving platform is pivotally mounted in a transfer chute and biased toward a bobbin receiving position. As a bobbin drops onto the platform, it urges the platform toward a bobbin releasing position. Movement of the platform to its releasing position is retarded to slow the passage of the bobbin and assure it being in a horizontal position, whereupon the platform moves quickly toward the releasing position.

' The invention herein relates generally to article handling apparatus and more specifically to apparatus for aligning bobbins.

Chutes are often used in textile operations for transporting bobbins and in certain applications it is preferred that the axes of the bobbins be maintained in a substantially horizontal dispostion, with their ends slidingly received in tracks for guiding the bobbins. Horizontally disposed bobbins which are allowed to fall freely through a chute may become canted or upended and therefore become lodged in the chute, thus preventing the passage of succeeding bobbins.

The present invention is operable to prevent an occurrence of this nature and for this purpose provides a mechanism which retards the rate of descent of a bobbin in a transfer chute so that a trailing end of an upended bobbin may catch up with the lowermost or advanced end of the bobbin. The retarding mechanism includes a bobbin receiving platform which is pivotally mounted in the transfer chute and biased into a bobbin receiving position. When a bobbin is released into the transfer chute, it drops onto the platform, urging the platform toward a bobbin releasing position. However, a cam integral with the platform engages a freely rotatable weight and rotates the weight so that the inertia of the weight acts through the cam to initially retard the rate at which the platform pivots toward the bobbin releasing position. A suflicient delay period is built into the apparatus to assure that a canted or upended bobbin assumes a substantially horizontal position prior to being released by the receiving platform.

Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide new and improved apparatus for handling elongated articles.

Another object of the invention is the provision of new and improved apparatus for positioning canted or upended bobbins in a substantially horizontal position.

A further object of the invention is to provide new and improved apparatus for delaying movement of a canted or upended bobbin to permit it to assume a substantially horizontal position.

Yet another object of the invention is the provision of new and improved bobbin handling apparatus including a movable bobbin receiving platform biased toward a bobin receiving position and including a control mechanism for initially retarding movement of the platform to a bobbin releasing position when a bobbin is received on the platform. A related object is the provision of such apparatus wherein the control mechanism permits the platform to move quickly to a releasing position when the bobbin has assumed a substantially horizontal position.

Other and further objects and advantages of the invention appear in the description which follows, taken together with the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary view, schematically illustrating, in perspective, a bobbin handling apparatus embodying the invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary front elevation view of a part of the apparatus illustrated in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary side elevation view of FIG. 2 illustrating cooperating parts; and

FIGS. 4-7 are views similar to FIG. 3 illustrating different positions of the cooperating parts.

Refer now to the drawings and in particular to FIG. 1 which illustrates a typical application of the invention. A frame structure includes a hopper 10 which serves as a remote storage facility for a plurality of elongated Wound bobbins B preferably disposed in a substantially horizontal relationship. Spaced from the hopper 10 is a reserve bobbin magazine 12 which serves as an immediate supply of bobbins B for a textile machine (not shown) which un- Winds the bobbins in the course of its operation. An inclined chute 14 has a pair of parallel, spaced apart channels including a channel 16 sized to receive a narrow tip of a bobbin B, and a channel 18 sized to receive a wide head of the bobbin. An upper end of the chute is connected with the hopper 10 and a lower end is connected with the magazine 12. Upon a signal from the magazine, a suitable mechanism (not shown) in the hopper is operated to release a bobbin B to the upper end of the chute 14. The bobbin B then descends under gravity until it is received and comes to rest in the magazine 12.

A delay mechanism 22 is provided on the chute 14 to retard the descent of the bobbin and assure the bobbin being in a horizontal position and preventing substantial movement of the bobbin out of a horizontal position such that the ends of the bobbin undesirably become lodged in the chute. In more detail, a bobbin which rotates about a transverse axis as it descends so that it assumes an upended position with one end at a substantially higher elevation than another end, is slowed by the delay mechanism 22 allowing the trailing or higher end to catch up with the lower or advanced end of the bobbin. To achieve this result, and as shown in FIGS. 3-7, a bobbin receiving platform 24 is fixed on a shaft 26, the ends of which freely extend through suitable holes in base walls of the channels 16 and 18. Snap rings 28 on outer ends of the shaft substantially prevent axial movement of the shaft 26 relative to the base walls.

Control mechanism is provided to regulate passage of the bobbin through the chute. As shown, fixed to the righthand end of the shaft 26 (see FIG. 2) at a location spaced from the base wall 16, is a plate cam 30. By means of a tension spring 32 having one end attached to a post 34 fixed to the base wall 16 and the other end attached to a post 35 fixedly secured to the cam 30, the cam and the platform 24 are urged in the clockwise direction (see FIG. 3). With this arrangement, the platform 24 assumes a bobbin receiving position in the chute 14 when the cam 30 is in a normal rest position engaging a stop pin 36 fixed to the base wall of the channel 16.

Thus, as a bobbin B is released from the hopper 10 and descends in the chute 14, it is received on the upper surface of the platform 24 (FIG. 3) and because of its weight tends to rotate the platform 24 in the counterclockwise direction.

Upon initial counterclockwise rotation of the platform 24, the shaft 26, and the cam 30, a lobe 38 on the outer periphery of the cam 30 strikes an engaging surface abutment in the form of a pin 40 having one end fixed to a body portion of a weight 42 (FIG. 4). The weight 42 is freely rotatable on and balanced about a stub shaft 44 fixed to the base wall of channel 16. As the lobe 38 strikes the in 40, the weight 42 is caused to swing in the counterclockwise direction until a second engaging surface abutment in the form of a pin 46 fixed to the body of the weight 42 strikes a lobe St) on the cam 30 (FIG. 5), momentarily checking the swinging motion of the weight 42. Under the constant urging of a bobbin B, the platform 24 rotates slowly downwardly or in the counterclockwise direction (FIGS. 3-7) and carries with it the cam 31) such that the lobe 50, bearing against the pin 46, causes the weight 42 to resume its swinging motion but in the opposite or clockwise direction until the pin 40 engages another lobe 52 on the cam 30 (FIG. 6), again checking the swinging motion of the weight 42. Continued rotation of the cam 30 causes the pin 40 to slide along the lobe 52 until it reaches a dwell surface 54. At this time, the weight 42 remains substantially stationary and generally disposed so that the pin 46 is substantially disengaged from the dwell surface 54, and simultaneously, the pin 46 is similarly disengaged from a dwell surface 56 on the cam 30. In this condition, the platform 24 is free to rotate quickly and substantially unhindered to a bobbin releasing position (FIG. 7). If a bobbin B on the platform 24 had initially engaged the platform in a canted or upended position, it has by this time resumed a substantially horizontal position in the chute 14 so that it descends into the magazine 12 in the proper fashion.

Additional delay mechanisms 22 may be employed in series, particularly if the chute 14 has a substantial length increasing the possibility that bobbins can become lodged in the chute 14. Also, the delay period provided by the delay mechanism 22 can be adjusted so as to be compatible with the size of bobbins being handled by replacing the weight 42 with another weight of a suitable size. When a bobbin has been fully released from the platform 24, the tension spring 32 rotates the cam 30 back to its original position engaging the stop pin 36 such that the platform 24 is returned to its inoperative or bobbin receiving position.

Although only a preferred embodiment of the invention has been disclosed herein, it will be recognized that the invention is capable of other and further embodiments and that it may be modified in various ways, all without departing from the invention defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. Apparatus for orienting elongated articles passing through a chute, comprising receiving means for receiving one of the articles passing through the chute and releasably retaining the article with the axis of the article in desired orientation, means mounting said receiving means in the chute for movement, responsive to the article being received by the receiving means, from a receiving position for receiving the article to a releasing posi- 4 tion for discharging the article substantially in said desired orientation, and control means responsive to said receiving means being urged toward said releasing position for retarding movement of said receiving means to said releasing position and slowing movement of the article through the chute.

2. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said control means so retards the movement of said receiving means to a predetermined position intermediate said receiving position and said releasing position and then releases said receiving means for substantially free movement to said releasing position.

3. Apparatus as set forth in claim 2 wherein said con trol means includes a cam operatively connected to said receiving means and a freely rotatable weight engaged by said cam during operation of said control means.

4. Apparatus as set forth in claim 3 wherein said weight has abutments and said cam includes a plurality of lobes successively engaging said abutments during operation of said control means for rotating said weight.

5. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said control means includes means resiliently biasing said receiving means toward said receiving position for movement toward said releasing position responsive to the article being received by the receiving means.

6. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said control means includes a cam operatively connected to said receiving means, and a freely rotatable weight engaged by said cam during operation of said control means.

7. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said receiving means is a platform for releasably retaining said article with the axis of the article generally horizontally disposed.

8. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said article is a bobbin, said receiving means is a platform, said means mounting said receiving means includes a shaft secured to said platform, and means journalling said shaft on said chute, and said control means includes a cam fixed on said shaft, a weight mounted for rotation relative to said cam and having a plurality of surface portions successively engaged by said cam during operation of said control means.

9. Bobbin handling apparatus for a textile machine, comprising a frame including an inclined chute for guiding bobbins in a generally horizontal disposition under the influence of gravity from an upper end to a lower end of the chute, comprising a platform, means mounting said platform in said chute a bobbin receiving posi tion to a bobbin releasing position, a cam operatively connected to said platform, means biasing said platform toward said receiving position, a weight mounted for free rotation relative to said cam and having a plurality of surface portions on said weight successively engaged by said cam upon movement of said platform to said releasing position.

10. Apparatus as set forth in claim 9 wherein said means mounting said platform includes a shaft rotatably mounted in said chute and wherein said platform is substantially fixed on said shaft.

11. Apparatus as set forth in claim 10 including stop means and means biasing said platform against said stop means in said receiving position.

12. Apparatus as set forth in claim 11 wherein said biasing means includes a spring.

13. Apparatus for aligning elongated articl s passing through a chute, comprising receiving means for receiving one of the articles as it passes through the chute, means mounting said receiving means in the chute for movement, responsive to the article being received by the receiving means, from a receiving position for receiving the article to a releasing position for discharging the article, and control means responsive to said receiving means being urged toward said releasing position for retarding movement of said receiving means to said releasing position and slowing movement of the article through the chute, said control means including a cam operatively connected to said receiving means, and a freely rotatable weight engaged by said cam during operation of said control means.

14. Apparatus as set forth in claim 13 wherein said control means so retards movement of said receiving means to a predetermined position intermediate said receiving position and said releasing position and then releases said receiving means for substantially free movement to said releasing position.

15. Apparatus as set forth in claim 13 wherein said means mounting said receiving means includes, a shaft, means journalling said shaft on said chute, and said cam is fixed on said shaft, and said weight has a plurality of surface portions successively engaged 'by said cam during operation of said control means.

16. Apparatus as set forth in claim 13 wherein said weight has abutments and said cam includes a plurality of lobes successively engaging said abutments during operation of said control means for rotating said weight.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,114,318 10/1914 Vasey 19332 3,031,059 4/1962 Ingham 198-33 3,090,476 5/1963 Sanders 198-33 3,376,965 4/1968 Tregoning et al 193-33 ANDRES H. NIELSEN, Primary Examiner 

